Of Life and War
by ZeroChoice
Summary: Alternate Universe. Lily Evans has a twin brother, Liam. He isn't as brave as Lily, nor does he really stand out. However, when the Dark Lord is after your family, he will doing anything to protect them. That is in the future, for now he is only 11 and about to embark on his biggest adventure - Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. (Summary sounds lame, I may change it later)
1. Chapter 1

_Authors Notes: I'm alive! Wow, its been nearly 10 years since I last posted anything. A lot has changed in my life. I've been on the site, reading, but it's been so long since I wrote anything. The story you are about to read has been playing in my mind for years. At first I didn't want to post it. You see, I am still rather shy when it comes to sharing my writing. However, over the course of many months and many internal debates, I finally decided to take the plunge. I hope you like it. Now to the formalities:First, I don't own Harry Potter, J. K. Rowling does. Thank you J.K. Secondly, this is an AU, meaning things will not follow canon. Like, for example, Lily has a twin brother! This story is about him. Third, I currently do not have anyone proof reading this, except for the proofreader on Microsoft word, so please let me know if there are typos, etc. Fourth, I'm an American so I spell things the American way. I know a couple of word differences but not all, so if you know the right word spelling please review or PM so I can fix it._ _Lastly,_ _there may be some quotes directly from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Thanks!_

* * *

July 1969. Nine year old Twins Lily and Liam Evans were playing on the swings at the neighborhood park with their older sister, Petunia. They were trying to see who can swing the highest. Lily, the fearless one, was currently winning. Liam, not nearly as brave as his twin, wasn't even trying to go that high. He didn't like heights and he was quite afraid of falling. As for Petunia, she was in agreement with Liam, though she was swinging higher than he.

"Come now Liam, you have to swing your legs faster!" Lily said, swinging her legs effortlessly.

"I'm fast enough!" said Liam. He swung his feet faster, the swing going higher and higher. Liam chanced a look down. Oh no, he thought, that was enough for him. He dragged his feet onto the ground, stopping his momentum suddenly. Unfortunately, his body had other ideas. He went flying forward, his face landing hard on the ground. Lily couldn't help herself as she laughed at her poor brother's misfortune.

Petunia rushed off her swing to Liam's side. "Are you okay? That looked quite painful!" She said, trying to see his face. She was sure he would be injured in some degree. Strangely, he had no injuries, not even a scratch. Liam got up, brushing the dirt of his trousers. "I'm fine, Tuney."

Meanwhile, Lily kept swinging higher and higher. Petunia screeched at Lily to lower herself; Liam just shook his head. He knew that Lily liked to show off a bit and of course she did. He watched as she went soaring through the air as though gravity meant nothing to her. He sighed as Petunia told Lily off. Those two were always going at it. As Petunia told Lily off, he couldn't help but compare his sisters.

Lily had their mothers red hair and their fathers fearless personality. She had their mother's distinctive green eyes. She was always one to try new things, climb the highest tree, or slide down the biggest hill. She was spirited but also a little scary at times. Her short temper and sharp tongue had gotten her in some trouble with their parents quite a few times.

Petunia had blonde hair, like their father. Her eyes, also like their fathers: a pale blue. She was much more like Liam in that they both were cautious, but that was about all they had in common. She tended to be bossy and self-centered. She also had a short temper. When Petunia got angry, doors slammed and a great deal of yelling was involved.

Liam just tried to stay out of sight whenever those two went at it. He shared a lot in common with both his sisters. He had short blonde hair and green eyes. He liked playing with Lily but also doing safe activities with Petunia. It would be unfair of him to take either side, so the sidelines he went to wait it out.

Thankfully it didn't take too long as Lily was already moving on to a different activity. "Tuney, Liam, look at this. Watch what I can do." Petunia was looking around but Liam was focused on Lily. She picked up a flower from the ground and held out her palm. Lily stared at it for a moment when suddenly it started to open and close its petals. Petunia started shrieking but Liam was fascinated. He took the flower from Lily's hand.

"How did you do that?" He asked, willing the leaf to open and close like it had with Lily. He almost dropped it in surprise when it did. "Oh look, I can do it too!" He said proud of himself.

"Stop! That's unnatural. How are you doing that? " screeched Petunia.

Suddenly, out of nowhere a boy popped out of the bushes. "It's obvious, isn't it?" The boy had black hair that fell in his eyes. He was skinny and it looked as though his clothes did not fit. He had a thin face but a big grin as he spoke. Petunia gave him a look of disgust and moved away from the boy. Lily and Liam were curious, who was this boy and what did he know.

"What's obvious?" asked Lily.

"I know what you two are." He whispered. He looked excited. Liam was wary; he wasn't sure if he should be backing away like Petunia or continue talking to the strange boy. He was also confused. This boy said he knew what Lily and he were, as though they were different from everyone else. Yes, they were twins but that was nothing. A good many people had a twin.

"What do you mean?" Liam said.

"You're magic. A witch and a wizard!" the boy whispered. Lily looked offended. Liam didn't blame her, to be called a witch… that was rude. However, the boy didn't seem to mean it as an insult. The opposite in fact, he seemed to mean it as a compliment. Lily surprised Liam by pulling a Petunia; she turned her nose up at the boy and stormed off.

"No!" said the boy. He looked embarrassed and stared at Liam. Liam stared back not knowing what to say. He didn't see anything wrong with being called a wizard, after all, all his favorite characters were wizards. Merlin, Gandalf, and the Wizard in the Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Liam went to where his sisters were standing and the boy followed.

"You are a witch." The boy said to Lily, then pointed to Liam. "He is a wizard. I've been watching you two. I'm a wizard too and my mother is a witch. There is nothing wrong with that."

"I know who _you_ are." Said Petunia, her voice cold and her face sneered. "You're that Snape boy! You live by the river – in Spinner's End. You've been spying on us?"

"I haven't been spying!" Snape said his face red. "I wouldn't spy on you anyway. You're just a muggle."

Petunia, Lily, and Liam just stared at Snape for a moment. All of them confused. Liam didn't know that word, and apparently neither did his sisters. Petunia, however, didn't seem to care. "Come you two, we're leaving." She said in a huff, already storming off. Lily glared at the boy for a moment before following. Liam didn't move. "What's a muggle?" he asked, not caring that Petunia was calling for him to follow.

Snape looked at Liam; his face looked upset, as though someone killed his dog. "Someone without magic." He said quietly. Liam pondered that for a moment before sticking out his hand for a shake. "My names Liam Evans, those two are Lily and Petunia, my sisters."

The Snape boy was surprised for a minute but took Liam's hand. "I'm Severus Snape." He said, shaking his hand.

Liam grinned. "I have to go, but maybe I'll see you around?" he asked, he still wasn't sure if he wanted to be friends with the boy but he was willing to try anyway.

The Snape boy nodded, he seemed happy again. Liam turned and ran to his sisters, only looking back once. The Snape boy was gone, Liam was confident he would see him again.

* * *

 _AN: If you like this, or if you are just interested in reading more, please review or favorite or whatever so I know. I'm not sure yet how far I am going to take this. As of right now, December 12, 2017, I hope that this story goes on all through Liam's years at Hogwarts then I'll write a second of his years following Hogwarts. I have a general idea in mind for where this is all going, but others ideas or opinions, I will gladly hear and take into account._


	2. Chapter 2

_Authors Notes: I don't own Harry Potter, J. K. Rowling does. There may be some quotes directly from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Also, please remember this is an AU meaning things are different from the books. Lastly, thank you to the wonderful people who reviewed, Favorited, and/ or followed._

 _Qoheleth - It really should be all the Oz books. You are right, The Wizard was a conman, not really someone that Liam would really care for, though he redeemed himself later. To be honest, I when writing the first chapter I was just thinking up all the wizards I knew in literature and that is why he was included._

 _Soccerlover17 - I have a few chapters already written, so this will continue. As for Another Potter... well that story needs a major overhaul before I will be going back to it. If I do continue it, it will be quite some time. I will think about it though._

 _Guest - Severus does not care for Petunia, and at that point in time, he didn't really care for any muggle. To be a muggle, in Severus' eyes, it to be nothing special._

 _Chapter 2 - posted 12/18/2017_

* * *

It took a few days for Liam to convince Lily to come back to the park with him. Petunia had scoffed at the idea and refused to come. Liam thought that was for the best. Severus had not seemed to care for Petunia that day and it seemed to him that Petunias feeling for Severus was mutual. Liam wasn't sure exactly why Severus had a problem with his oldest sister; there was nothing wrong with not having magic. Liam had only just learned he had magic after all, he was still under the impression that magic or no magic everyone was still the same.

Lily and Liam entered the park but didn't see Severus. It was expected though; they hadn't seen Severus the other day either before he popped out of nowhere. Liam sighed; maybe Severus wasn't here at all. Lily shrugged nonchalantly.

"Want to play on the swings?" She asked. She didn't really care to meet up with the strange dark haired boy. The last couple of days she had thought about what he said, about her being a witch. At first she thought that the Snape boy – Severus- had not been very kind; calling her a witch, how terribly rude that was. Later, Liam made mention of Glinda, the Good Witch of the South, which got her to think that perhaps the Snape boy didn't mean it as an insult.

Though, it was ludicrous to believe that she had real magic. Glinda was just a story character. Then again, weird things had always happened to her that she could not explain. The flower, for example, was one just moment. So she agreed to come back and give Snape a chance, that and Liam had seemed earnest in his desire.

Liam smiled at Lily, might as well enjoy the day. So for the next hour that was exactly what they did. They played on the swings and then went down the slides. They ran around playing tag and laughing without a care in the world. Until it grew warm and they took shelter in the small thicket of trees. The twins sat there for a while in silence, each basking in the coolness the shade brought. That was when they heard the rustling.

"Hello, who's there?" asked Lily, trying to look through the trunks of the trees.

"It's just me." replied a voice. Liam looked at his sister a small smile forming. It was Severus, at last. Severus took a seat on the grass facing the twins. His hair was still greasy and lanky, and his clothes were the same as the previous days. For a while, none of them spoke. Severus didn't really know what to say, he didn't want the two siblings to run off like before. Liam and Lily looked at each other, using just their eyes they had a debate on who would speak first. Lily lost.

"Tell us more about magic." She said, looking with interest at Severus.

"Well," he started, gathering his thoughts. "There is Hogwarts, that's the magic school. There is Diagon Alley where you can buy a wand and all sorts of stuff and Gringotts, the bank. It's like a whole other world where only people with magic can experience."

"You said your mother was a witch." said Liam. "What about your father?"

"He is a muggle." Severus said bitterly.

"Is that a bad thing, being a muggle?" whispered Lily. Her parents were muggles as far as she knew and she loved her parents.

Severus didn't reply at first. He wanted to say yes, it was very much a bad thing. Muggles were brutes, uneducated, and barbaric. However, he knew that the two in front of him were muggle-borns. They probably like their parents. They were probably nothing like Tobias.

"No, not exactly." He said, looking away from them. "My father is just... well- he isn't really nice, he… my parents argue a lot. He doesn't really like anything, or anyone."

No one replied to that. Liam and Lily felt bad for Severus. They couldn't imagine a world where their parents fought all the time, or they were unloved. Even Petunia loved her siblings in her own little way. Liam decided a change in subject was in order. He smiled excitedly. "We get to have a wand, like a real magic wand?"

Liam, Lily, and Severus spoke for hours about the magic world. Severus held nothing back and the twins asked many questions. They didn't even realize how late it was until they heard Petunia calling out Lily and Liam's names. Hurriedly, the twins got up and said their goodbyes. They promised to be back soon and rushed off to their home.

* * *

They met almost every day with Severus. Talking about the magical world and getting to know each other. They didn't have many things in common at first, though Liam and Severus both learned that they enjoyed similar muggle books. Occasionally, they would play on the playground instead of talk. It was nice to play with someone their own age, someone who in all earnest wanted to play with them too. Petunia had complained many times about silly childish games.

It was on one of those days, a month after their first meeting, that they were talking about the magical world and all its glorious wonders; they found themselves in their spot. The thicket of trees they were in when Severus first told them about the magical world had become a favorite spot for the three. It was out of sight and provided good shade for the summer heat.

They were just getting on the subject of quidditch when they heard sudden noise. They heard a thud, then a small voice. "Ouch." It was only Petunia, falling from a tree.

"Tuney!" exclaimed Lily, getting up to help her sister. Severus jumped to his feet, his eyes narrowing.

"You're spying on us!" he shouted.

"So what if I was?" said Petunia, rubbing her rear. "What are you going to do, cry to Daddy? Oh wait; he doesn't care about you, does he?" She said laughing.

"Tuney!" Lily said, shocked at her sisters audacity. Suddenly, there was a loud crack and the branch that Petunia had been trying to sit on five minutes before fell. It would have landed right on Petunia's head and seriously hurt her if it weren't for Petunia scampering out of the way just in time.

Liam looked in shock at the branch, then Petunia, then Severus. He had furious look on his face. Petunia starting crying in fear and ran off to the safety of their home. Liam had not liked what Petunia said to his new friend, but he also did not like that his new friend tried to hurt his sister. Lily turned to Severus.

"You did that, didn't you?"

Severus looked frightened but also unabashed. "No."

Liam knew right away that he lied and from the look Lily was giving Severus, she also knew he was lying. She stared at him, her face red with rage. Then she ran after Petunia. Liam didn't blame her, he was mad too. He watched as Severus's face morphed to one of shame and regret.

"You shouldn't have lied. Petunia was being a jerk, but she didn't deserve to get hurt." Liam said. He was angry but he also understood.

"She wasn't hurt." Severus said defensively.

"But she could have been!" Liam replied sternly. "'With great power there must also come great responsibility.'"

Severus looked confused. Liam shrugged.

"It's from Spider-man." He said, as though Severus knew who Spider-man was.

Severus looked to his tatty shoes; of course he knew Liam was right. He had magic, he was better than Petunia, she just being a muggle, and he used his magic against her. She was also his two new friends sister, so magic or not he shouldn't have tried to hurt her.

"You're right. I'm sorry." Said Severus, and he meant it. "Next time I'll have better control. I won't let her get to me."

"Thanks."

An awkward silence permeated the air. Neither wanted to say anything after that, instead Liam moved away from the thicket and laid on the grass. Severus moved next to him and laid down as well. For a while they were content with just watching the clouds in the sky. Finally the silence was broken by Severus, he was pointing to a cloud.

"That cloud looks like a hippogriff."

"What's a hippogriff?" asked Liam.

"A magical creature." answered Severus. "Imagine an eagle and horse combined."

Liam had a hard time envisioning such a creature. He looked at the cloud in question but still could not see a horse-eagle creature. Did it have a horse head or an eagle head? His mind raced with the different possibilities.

"Are there many magical creatures?" he asked, he had never seen anything weird before, so they must be hidden.

"Oh yes!" replied Severus. "We can take a class at Hogwarts – Care of Magical Creatures- in third year. There are also loads of books at Flourish and Blotts, that's a book store in Diagon Alley."

"Oh." Liam still didn't understand a lot of what Severus was saying. A part of him was still coming to terms with there being a secret magical community and that he was part of it. If what Severus was saying was true then in two years' time, he, Lily, and Severus were going to be going to a magical school with real wands and learning magical spells! It was all very exciting.

There was a little silence. "It is real, right? I mean, you're not taking a mickey of me are you?"

"Very real," said Severus. "At least for us and Lily. We are going to get a letter of acceptance to Hogwarts and learn spells and become powerful. You'll see. "

Severus sounded so confident that Liam was positive he was telling the truth. It was a shame he had to wait the two years, but he was patient. The wait would be worth it. "You said earlier that owls delivered letters?"

"Yeah."

"An owl will deliver our acceptance letters?"

"Well, usually." Severus said. "Though, with you and Lily being muggle-born, someone might come and explain things to your parents."

"Someone from the school?"

"Yeah."

"There's nothing wrong with being Muggle-born, is there?"

Severus didn't reply right away, which worried Liam a little. Severus had said that his mother was a witch. She probably taught him spells already and showed him all sorts of magic. Those kids who grew up with magic must know even more than Severus. Severus, who was watching him, must have seen the worry on his face.

"It won't make a difference, you being muggle-born. I've seen you and Lily both do magic. You'll be fine."

Liam relaxed but he had a feeling that a small part did matter that his parents were muggle. He decided to drop it for now. He wasn't going to Hogwarts any time soon, so there was no need to worry.


	3. Chapter 3

_Authors Notes: I don't own Harry Potter, J. K. Rowling does. There may be some quotes directly from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Also, please remember this is an AU meaning things are different from the books._

 _Posted - 12/25/17 Happy Christmas everyone!_

* * *

The last two years had flown by rather quickly for Liam. He and Severus had become best friends, and though Severus was also friends with Lily, they weren't as close as the boys were. Severus spent many days with Liam, and sometimes with Lily: at the playground, at the Evans' house, even in town. Liam had introduced Severus to Spider-man and Severus, in turn, introduced Liam to all things magical.

Accidental Magic still happened and most of the time they knew who caused it. For example, there was the one time when Liam was ten, he and his family were going through a haunted house on Halloween. Liam had gotten separated and he was quite scared. Suddenly something touched his arm and next thing he knew he was outside the house, hyperventilating. He had later told this to Severus who said that it sounded like apparition.

His parents never could explain the weird things that happened around their youngest children. They seem to always explain it away. Severus said it was because they were muggles, they couldn't understand magic. Liam thought that though it were true they were muggles and didn't understand magic, he also thought it was unfair of Severus to think that since his parents also had no clue there was even real magic to begin with.

Lily and Liam never did say anything to their parents about what Severus told them of the magical world. If what Severus told them was true, when they got their Hogwarts letters, someone from the school would explain it for them. In the meanwhile, they played with Severus as though he were just another kid and not a fellow wizard.

Of course, that all changed on June twenty-second 1971.

It had started out pretty normal; Liam was eating lunch at the table with his family, except for Petunia who was at a friend's house. His mother was taking them to their grandparent's house later. Granny Violet wasn't doing so well and his mother wanted to see to her and Grandpa Basil's needs. When, all of a sudden, there was a knock at the door.

Liam's father, who was on one of his rare weekdays off, got up from the table to answer the door. Liam didn't really think much of it and returned to his meal. A few moments later, his father entered the dining room with an older woman. She was tall, imposing figure. She wore dark burgundy colored robes and what looked to be a witch's hat. Liam and Lily quickly looked at each other; both knew that this was the moment that had been waiting on for two years. Today, they were going to get their Hogwarts Letters.

"Rose, Lily, Liam – this is Professor McGonagall." said Liam's father, William. "She says she from a school that has accepted Lily and Liam."

Liam's dad had a look of bewilderment, in the few minutes he had spoken with the Professor had the door he had learned that there was a school of magic. Apparently his eleven year old twins had unknowingly been accepted to it. The Professor was talking about the school with Rose, his wife, and the twins. The twins didn't look all to surprised to learn about it all, as though they had known about this.

"When do we get to go to Diagon Alley?" asked Liam. That snapped William out of his daze.

"Wait – you know about all this… this stuff?" he asked his only son, his son who looked exactly like him except for his eyes.

"Um… well, yeah," answered Liam. "Severus told us all about it. He's a wizard, like me."

"Severus Snape?" asked the professor. "Yes, I do remember seeing his letter before it was sent off."

"Would you care for some tea?" asked Rose.

"Yes, thank you."

The Professor sat at the table and was given a cup of tea. After drinking a sip, she pulled out two letters from inside her cloak. She handed one to Lily and the other to Liam. Liam looked down at it. It wasn't like a normal letter; the envelope and letter were made of thick parchment. The back of the letter was sealed with wax and stamped with a logo, and the address was to the Dining Room. The letter itself had two pages and started with the headmasters name and a bunch of titles that Liam had no clue about. The second page was a list of required books and materials.

As Liam was looking over his letter, Professor McGonagall was telling his parents about Hogwarts and giving a brief overview of the magical world. Liam was listening in but everything she said so far he already knew courtesy of Severus. His parents were getting more excited the more the professor told them.

"We always knew they were special." said Rose, holding William's hand. She smiled, pride etched on her face. It was at that moment that the front door opened and Petunia walked in.

"Petunia, dear, we have a guest," Rose said. "This is Professor McGonagall. Apparently Lily and Liam have been invited to a prestigious school in Scotland."

"You know, the school Severus was telling us about." said Lily, sarcastically. Petunia had told both Lily and Liam that Severus was a dirty little liar, that there was no such thing as Hogwarts. Both Liam and Lily smirked at Petunia's shocked expression.

"Oh," started Petunia. She couldn't very much call it a lie with an actual Professor right there in her dining room. "How nice." Then she walked away, of to her room without another word. Professor McGonagall raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

"Any way, if you would like, I can escort you through Diagon Alley to get your things. We will need to stop at Gringotts, the wizard bank, to exchange your muggle money for wizardry money first."

"We were supposed to go visit my mum today…" Rose said, looking at William.

William's eyes widened. He did not want to go to Rose's parents house. Basil, his father in law, still looked at him with a glare as though Rose was still a teenager and he was not happy about her choice of boyfriend. "It's okay!" he said quickly. "You go, take Tuney. Lily, Liam, and I can go with the Professor."

"Well, if you're sure-"

"Absolutely!"

"Okay then." answered Rose.

* * *

It was a little less than two hours later that William, Lily, and Liam – along with Professor McGonagall – found themselves in front of Charing Cross Road. William was looking around, trying to spot something magical. He, naturally, could not see the pub that was entrance to Diagon Alley. Professor McGonagall had a small smile on her face, watching her two new students' father looking around oblivious to the Leaky Cauldron. What it must be like to be muggle, to not see what was right in front on you.

"I don't see anything," William said. "Am I supposed to be seeing something?"

"There is a pub, right there." exclaimed Lily, excitedly pointing to the Leaky Cauldron and its sign of a cauldron hanging by the door. "I can see it!"

"Muggles cannot see the pub, because of the International Statute of Secrecy it was hidden so only those with magic can see it."

"Oh." William frowned.

"Once through the pub, we will enter Diagon Alley. You will get your chance to see some of the magical world."

That cheered William up. They entered the Pub; Lily had taken William's hand to guide him to the door. Once inside, they saw many people in the room. Some sitting at booths or tables, drinking drinks and chatting. A man behind the counter was taking coins from a lady. A group of teenagers were talking animatedly about something. Liam thought he heard the word broomstick. Few people looked their way as they passed by to the back into a little courtyard. Professor McGonagall taped her wand on the bricks; Liam's jaw opened in surprise when an archway opened up and he could see the alley in all its wonder.

"Welcome to Diagon Alley."


	4. Chapter 4

_Authors Notes: I don't own Harry Potter, J. K. Rowling does. There may be some quotes directly from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Also, please remember this is an AU meaning things are different from the books._

 _posted 1/16/2018_

* * *

After converting over pounds to galleons, sickles, and knuts, Professor McGonagall led the Evans around the Alley. The two muggleborns and their father were looking with awe at everything around them. There was a wand shop, a shop that sold robes, a pet store, and an apothecary. If it weren't the Professor guiding them around, they would have spent all day just looking and not knowing exactly where to go.

Their first stop was Madam Malkin's. There they got the three sets of plain work robes, a pointed hat, gloves, and a winter cloak that were mentioned on the equipment list. The fitting didn't seem to take too long; they were the only ones in the shop at the moment. William was asking what seemed like a million questions to the Professor; she didn't seem to mind, and answered each one. Liam figured that she must be used to dealing with muggleborns and their muggle parents. After the fitting was done, Professor McGonagall recommended a few other items she thought might be useful, which they ended up getting, they paid for their items and headed out to another store.

The next shop they went to was a store that sold trunks. It wasn't a planned stop but after Liam asked how they were going to lug everything to school, and realizing that neither Lily nor Liam had a suitable trunk to take to Hogwarts, it became a necessity. After that stop, it became a lot easier to carry around their bags. Professor McGonagall had been kind enough to put a feather-light charm and a locking charm on both trunks. The children, and William, had watched as she cast the charms – they were eager to see any bit of magic. After the trunk store, they headed to Flourish and Blotts.

When Liam entered Flourish and Blotts, his eyes widen, his jaw dropped. He loved it. From floor to ceiling, the shelves held so many books and not all of them the same size. Some were quite large, Liam was sure he couldn't hold them without help; some were so tiny that he didn't know how they could be read. Liam was almost shaking with anticipation; he just couldn't decide where to start. Professor McGonagall saw this and smiled.

"You enjoy reading, Mr. Evans?"

"Oh yes," he said immediately. "I love books, and reading, especially stories. My favorite is The Lord of the Rings, but I also like Moby Dick and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland."

"Well then may I suggest The Tales of Beedle the Bard." said the Professor, plucking the book from a shelf. "I believe you will enjoy it. My favorite is The Fountain of Fair Fortune."

Liam took the book reverently. "I'll read it tonight."

Along with The Tales of Beedle the Bard and his school books, Liam also got Quidditch through the Ages, Hogwarts, A History, and a comic book that and seemed interesting: The Adventures of Martin Miggs, the Mad Muggle. There were many other books that Liam wanted to get like a books on hexes and curses, however, the Professor looked like he would be in serious trouble if he performed a hex or curse on anyone not to mention that they wouldn't be able to do magic outside of school.

After the book store, they went to Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment for brass scales, brass telescopes, and phials, then to the Apothecary for their potion ingredients. It smelled awful! Liam was trying hard not to gag. Professor McGonagall frowned disapprovingly at him, so Liam swallowed and continued through the story pretending the smell didn't affect him. It certainly didn't seem to be affecting Lily. She was examining with great interest all the ingredients, stopping the longest at the unicorn horns.

Afterwards, they stopped at Potage's Cauldron Shop for two pewter cauldrons (standard size 2) and Scribbulus Writing Implements for quills, ink, and parchment. Liam loved the smell of the shop, it was a nice change from the Apothecary. Lily wanted to get a bottle of glow-in-the-dark ink but William said she would have to wait until next time they came.

"I think we're done." said William, as the group of four was leaving the shop. He was looking over Liam's list checking everything off.

"Daddy, it says "Students may also bring, if they desire, an owl OR a cat OR a toad."" Lily said, looking with wide eyes to their father. Ever since Severus had mentioned that owls delivered the post in the magical world, Lily had wanted one. Liam didn't know if he wanted an owl or not but thought that at least it would be useful to have one. William was never one to deny his children the things they wanted most.

"I suppose," He said. "But no toads, your mother would not approve."

Professor McGonagall led the group first to Eeylops Owl Emporium where Lily chose a small tawny owl as her familiar. After getting her owl, a cage, and treats they next went to Magical Menagerie. At first, none of the animals there seemed to care for Liam. He walked around the various cages of owls but decided an owl was just not for him. If he needed to send a letter he could use Lily's or a school owl. That left the cats. Most of the cats were sleeping or just wanted nothing to do with him. He got more dejected as they neared the last of the cats. Finally, Liam saw him, or he should say the cat saw Liam. He was young, only about 8 months old the sign said. He was a Siamese cat with the distinct bright blue eyes. The cat walked right in front of Liam, then stood on it hind legs and stretched his front legs on Liam's legs.

"Hey boy," Liam said softly. He bent down to scratch the cat's ears; he must have hit a good spot because the cat immediately started purring.

"Well, Mr. Evans, it seems as that cat has chosen you." said Professor McGonagall, she seemed to approve. Along with his new cat, he also got the necessary items needed for him some to keep at home for the summers but most to take with him to Hogwarts. Before they even left the shop, Liam had already decided a name: Gandalf.

"All that is left is your wands." said Professor McGonagall. She led them to a small shop, its display just a single wand on a purple cushion. Inside, it was dusty making Liam want to sneeze. There were no shelves, just thousands of boxes piled high to the ceiling. Liam wondered what would happen if you had to get a wand from the bottom, surely the whole pile would fall down. He was thinking of the safety risks of so many boxes piled high when suddenly he heard a voice.

"Good afternoon," said the old man, whose pale eyes were like tiny faint lamps in the mist of the dark shop. "Ah – Minerva, guiding some new students around the Alley I see. Let's see nine and one-half inches, Fir, with a dragon heartstring core; good for transfiguration. Yes, I remember."

The Professor didn't respond. He recalled her wand every time she entered with a new student. The man turned to the twins, "And whom might you two be?"

"I'm Lily Evans, this is my twin brother, Liam." said Lily, a bright smile on her face. Liam watched as the old man looked quickly to their father, then back to them.

"Well now, let's get started, shall we?" he said, pulling out a tape measure with silver markings from his pocket. Liam looked nervously at Lily, who smiled at him, trying to calm him. The man, Mr. Ollivander, didn't notice; he just kept talking. His voice was soft, mesmerizing. "Hold out your dominate arm."

Both Lily and Liam held out their right arms. Mr. Ollivander started with Lily, measuring her arm every which way. Finally when it was done measuring her knee to ankle, Mr. Ollivander snapped his fingers and the tape measure moved to Liam, repeating the process. Mr. Ollivander was still talking while moving through the shelves of wands.

"Every wand here at Ollivander's has the core of a powerful magical substance. We use heartstrings of dragons, unicorn hairs, and phoenix tail feathers. Each wand is different, no two the same, just as no two dragons or unicorns or phoenixes are the same. You will not get as good results with some else's wand, because no two witches or wizards are the same. The wand chooses the wizard, or witch."

After the measurements were done, which Liam was thankful for, Mr. Ollivander handed Lily a wand. "Try this, Miss Evans, holly and heartstring; seven inches, just give it a little wave."

Nothing happened; the wand was snatched from Mr. Ollivander. "Oak and unicorn hair, ten and one-half inches." Lily tried again but the wand was snatched quickly again. He handed her another. "Willow and phoenix feather, 10 and one- quarter inches, a bit swishy."

That seemed to do it for when Lily waved the wand a stream of red and silver sparks lit up from her wand. She was grinning widely and William was clapping ecstatically. Mr. Ollivander was clapping, as well as Professor McGonagall.

"Hurrah!" said Mr. Ollivander, and then he turned to Liam.

"Your turn." He said, plucking a wand from a shelf nearby. "Beech with phoenix father, nine inches."

Liam took the wand but before he could do anything the wand was snatched from him. Mr. Ollivander handed him another wand. "Elm and Unicorn hair, thirteen and three-quarter inches."

That too only lasted a second or two before it was taken back. "This one is it, I feel it. Cedar with unicorn hair, eleven inches. Unbending flexibility"

Liam took the wand, It was like all the color suddenly became more vivid, the world brighter and warmer. He waved; gold and silver sparks showered the shop. Liam smiled brightly; this was definitely the wand for him. Everyone was clapping again, which made Liam blush from the attention. William paid 14 Galleons for the wands, and then the group headed out to finish their shopping.

* * *

 _*It was never mentioned what core Lily had so I took authors discretion._


End file.
